Cowboys and Angels
by Irvine Kinneas the Coyote
Summary: Rated R for language. Irvine Kinneas the Coyote must find the will to forgive Brad Crawford for accidentally sentencing 100 dedicated Texas Rangers to death in the hands of the Uktena Beast
1. Prologue

Title: Cowboys and Angels  
Mini-Series: The Ragnarok  
Series: Bloody Roar V  
Written by: Irvine Kinneas the Coyote  
Plot: Irvine Kinneas and Tanaka Kodachi are left in the deserts of Nevada with nothing but the clothes on their backs and Tanaka's magic seemed to have stopped working since it's the New Moon.   
  
"Tanaka..." Irvine said, feeling naked without his shotgun. "Yes?" Tanaka asked, looking behind him at the exhauted cowboy. "The Lycanthropes and Zoanthropes... they really do hate each other, don't they?" "Yes." Tanaka said, he too was feeling naked, without his omni-powerful magic. "I'm almost ashamed of being a Lycanthrope." Irvine said, walking beside Tanaka. "Don't be." Tanaka said with a soft smile. Irvine and Tanaka stumbled to a rock formation and sat down in the shade. Irvine panted in sheer exhaustion. "Wait here." Tanaka said, unbuttoning Irvine's vest. "Where you going? Don't leave me!" "I'm going to get you some water..." Tanaka said, stroking Irvine's sweat soaked cheek. "Okay." Irvine said, closing his eyes. Tanaka scuttled off in fox form.   
Irvine opened his eyes, Tanaka has not returned yet and it was sunset. He had the great view of the Nevada sunset at his beset. The vibrant colors, the howl of coyotes, the smell of bacon? Irvine looked around when he saw Tanaka on the rock formation, cooking a pig. "Come on up, Irvine." Tanaka smiled. Irvine climbed the formation and sat down. "Where'd you get the pig?" "The Nevada desert is a dumping ground for all kindsa rejected livestock. I happened to have found this pig." Irvine nodded and took a piece of bacon from the cooking pig. He ate it and smiled. "I gotta admit, this ain't Porkie's but it'll do." Tanaka smiled. He handed Irvine a small canteen of water. Irvine drank it all before he could take a deep breath. They finished their meal and lied down on the rock formation, looking at the stars. "It's a New Moon." Irvine spoke. "My powers are no good now." Tanaka said. "Otherwise we would have stood a chance against the illegal immagrants." "Yeah." Irvine said. "Why ain't yer powers working?" "It's the New Moon. I suffer from the Ragabash Syndrome, it's part of the package that makes me a God." "If you're a god, why don't you just banish that flaw?" "I wish that was the case." Tanaka said with a imposing frown. "But however, there are Gods more powerful than even I and they'll make it so I never use magic again." "Terrible." Irvine slid onto his side, looking at Tanaka. Tanaka did the same, only looking at Irvine. "What is your 'sexual preference anyway?" Irvine asked. "I am gay." Tanaka said. "If you hadn't already guessed. But us Gods don't really have one, we'll fuck anyone." Irvine nodded. "So you're gay in the eyes of mortals." "Yeah." Tanaka said. "Don't worry, I'm not going to rape you in your sleep." Irvine shook his head. "I got a confession to make, Tanaka." "What?" "I am in love with you." Irvine blushed. "But I never thought a God could swing toward homosexuality." "Oh yeah, look at the Greek mythos..." Irvine shook his head. "I don't know what a Greek is..." "Bad example." Tanaka said, inching closer. "Anyway, I do have to tell you that I am attracted to you too." Irvine smiled, he tipped Tanaka's chin up. "Is it okay, Mr. God... that I kiss you? Will you sprout petrifying poison or insert a snake down my throat?" "I'm not Medusa, silly." Tanaka smiled. "Of course you can kiss me." Irvine kissed Tanaka sweetly, still tasting the roasted pig on his breath. Tanaka smiled and kissed Irvine back. "I always did have a thing for cowboys..." "Thanks." Irvine smiled, then stroked Tanaka's rough black hair. "Hey, look!" Tanaka shouted. "Headlights!" Irvine looked back and sure as shit, there was oncoming headlights. They both jumped down and ran toward the headlights. A black Honda Civic with New York plates pulled up on the makeshift road. "Oh fucking God, guess who?" Irvine said, seeing the Civic stop. Tanaka sighed. Brad Crawford stuck his head out of the car and growled. "You fucking Rangers never stop, do you!!" Brad shouted. "Put a sock in it, mortal!" Tanaka shouted in anger. "What brings you and your pet God to the desert?" "The same reason we want to get the fuck outta here!" Irvine shouted. Brad looked at his sleeping 'wife' then at the back. "Get in." Irvine and Tanaka got into the car and closed the door. "You two are international pigs, you even smell like a pig." Brad said. "Shut the FUCK up!" Tanaka shouted, totally inappropriate for a God to cuss. "We ain't do anything to you yet!!" Irvine smirked. "Yes, sire." Brad said, then continued driving. Tanaka rested his head against Irvine's shoulder.


	2. Grudges

Title: Grudges  
Sequel to: Cowboys and Angels  
Plot: Brad and Irvine get into a fight in Las Vegas, Trowa and Tanaka stay out of it until the fight turns physical.   
  
"STOP IT!" Tanaka shouted, restraining Irvine. "Please!" Trowa shouted, restraining Brad. "City prick!" "Country hic!!" "Pampered pretty boy!!" "Cowshit shoveler!!" "STOP IT!!!" Tanaka shouted. "You two! This fight has gone far enough!" Tanaka picked up his black cowboy hat and headed out. Trowa put his hands on his hips and glared at Brad. "I'm NOT going to cuddle with you until you two put your differences aside and become friends!" "T-trowa!" Trowa stormed out. Brad sat against the wall and stared Irvine down. Irvine returned the love by staring Brad down. ****** Trowa and Tanaka sat in the hotel bar, hearing the slot machines play tunes. Tanaka sipped his whiskey and Trowa sipped his wine. "I hate it when those boys fight. They really have nothing to fight about." "It's an American thing." Trowa said. "City people versus country folk." "Yeah." Tanaka sipped his whiskey. "For us in Japan it's more New Age versus Tradition, but the fights are NEVER this heated." "In Europe it's Peasants versus the Nobles and it's ALWAYS this heated." "So how did you and Brad meet anyway?" "It was Chicago 2 years ago. Have you ever been to Chicago?" "During the Great Depression, yeah." "Oh, then you wouldn't know. There's a nightclub there, it's called the Succubus Club. We met there." "Oh." Tanaka said. "Me and Irvine met each other while chasing Wendigo." "Wendigo?" "Native American mythos came to life and started killing people." "Oh, I see." Trowa nodded. "Wendigos were not as bad as the Uktena under Arizona." "Uktena is another Native American mythos?" "Yep." Tanaka said. "Horns like a ram, body like a snake, head and torso like a puma." "I saw one in a mythology book." Tanaka shrugged and smiled. "Ain't nothing until you personally see one let alone fight one." Trowa nodded. "Want to take a chance on the slots?" "Why not?" Tanaka smiled. ***** "I can't believe it!" Brad shouted. "They locked us in here!" "Serves you right, city dick!" Irvine said, heading for the window. "Who the fuck you calling a city dick, you angel-worshipping sheep fucker!" A dagger narrowly missed Brad's ear. Irvine pulled out another one. "Next one won't miss, mother fucker!" Brad sat down against the wall, still wide eyed. Irvine tried to open the window, but saw Tanaka's lock-ward on the windowsill. He swore up and down and tossed the dagger at Brad again, it nailed the wall on top of Brad's head. **"WHAT THE FUCK YOU DO THAT FOR!?"** "Because you're a dick." Irvine sat down on the bed and groaned. "Maybe we should take Tanaka and Trowa's advice." "If it wasn't for you and your cushy Godling getting stranded in the desert, me and Trowa would be fucking each other's brains out after a night of drinking and gambling!!" "Whatever Trowa sees in you is a FUCKING JOKE!" Irvine shouted. Brad pulled out the dagger about his head and did a half-assed job chucking it at Irvine. Irvine rolled off the bed as the dagger plopped onto the bed, blade out. Irvine ran up and punched Brad, sending his glasses flying. Brad grabbed a chair and threw it at Irvine. "Stand still, fucker!" Brad shouted. Irvine took the knife and threw it. Brad's eyes widened, then he touched the dagger's ivory handle between his legs. His eyes widened even further, he looked down to see the dagger between his legs, only milimeters closer and his penis would be no more. "You sorry son of a bitch." Brad said in a very squeaky voice. "..." Irvine sat down on the bed. ***** Tanaka handed Trowa a few more tokens and sipped his beer. "Wonder how the boys are doing." Trowa said. "I hope they didn't kill each other." "If they resort to zoanthrope form, then... Houston, we have a really BIG problem. It's no longer a New Moon, my powers are now effective." "Don't kill Brad, please." Trowa looked at him. "I won't." Tanaka said. "I'll just rip their grudge out of them." Trowa nodded. He pulled the lever. ***** Brad sat against the wall, looking at the crack in his new glasses. He put them back on and looked at the sunrise over the horizon. Irvine stood at the window, looking at the sites. Brad and Irvine didn't say a word, until the ice was broken. "Irvine... I want to apologize." "So do I." Irvine said. "We really had no reason to fight." "Yeah. You're right. We really never did have one..." Irvine turned toward Brad and extended his hand. "Pardners?" Brad smiled and shook it. "Pardners." Irvine smiled. The door and window went click... then the window shattered. "Eep..." "...yeah..." Brad said. Trowa and Tanaka walked in, with handfuls of thousands. "You boys made up." Tanaka smiled. Trowa walked over to Brad and handed Brad the wad of thousands. "Let's get some sleep." Brad pouted. "But I thought we were going to..." "I'm tired." Trowa said. Brad sighed. He followed Trowa to their room. Tanaka looked at the trashed room and waved his hands around. Everything in the room reasembled themselves and was restored. Irvine smiled and yawned. "Let's get some shuteye." Irvine said. "Then we'll decide what to do with your new fortune." Tanaka smiled and lied down on the bed. Irvine lied next to him. They tipped their cowboy hats over their eyes and went to sleep.


	3. Death of a Texas Pride

Title: Death of A Texas Pride  
Sequel to: Grudges  
Written by: Irvine Kinneas the Coyote  
Plot: A flashback fic. The grudge between Brad and Irvine is better explained.   
  
Tanaka and Irvine sat on the terrace in San Diego's finest hotel. Tanaka leaned forward and looked at the street below. "So there was nothing to really fight about?" Tanaka asked. "No..." Irvine said, his voice sounded like he was hiding something deeply painful. "I do believe YOU had a reason of ripping Brad's throat out." Irvine looked at him, his teal eyes focused in Tanaka's exotic purple ones. Tanaka put his hand on Irvine's cheek and wiped a tear from Irvine's eye. "It was the fight in Arizona... wasn't it?" "Yeah. 100 Rangers died... 100 unnecessary deaths..." Tanaka kissed Irvine's forehead. "At least the Uktena was sealed away in the Umbra like it should have been..." "But 100 Rangers died! You were there!" "I know..."   
***** 4 months ago, in the deserts of Arizona, Irvine and Tanaka got out of their jeep to see the Texas Rangers and US Marshals gathered around an Indian burial site. Tanaka and Irvine pushed their way past the Rangers and Marshals and saw clay figures of a strange beast by the skeletons. With the Rangers, was New York war correspondant, Brad Crawford. Tanaka picked up the figure of the Uktena and felt the incredible hatred deeply encrusted in it. Irvine saw a tear fall down Tanaka's pink cheek as he set the figure down. "This site is a site of hatred." Tanaka said. "Cut to chase, Spook Boy." Brad said, writing shit down. "This place was a slaughter of Native Americans in the hands of the Cavalry. The hatred still lingers here. The Great Uktena is waiting for the catalyst to awaken it and destroy us all." Irvine's eyes narrowed. He bent down and picked up another clay figure of the Uktena. "It's cold. Clay figures aren't supposed to be icy cold in the hot sun." "It's the hatred you feel." Tanaka said, standing up. Irvine nodded and set the figure down. He used his shotgun to lift himself back up. A wild coyote walked up to Irvine and sat down. "It's a coyote!" A ranger shouted. "Easy, pardner. She's okay." Irvine said, looking down at it. The coyote whined and barked. "It's a bad omen. Someone in this crowd has the potential to wake the Uktena." Tanaka said. The rangers and the Marshals began to talk amongst themselves. Brad shook his head and walked out of the crowd. Sitting down Brad felt his hand get pricked by a glass shard. He raised his cut hand and groaned. A drop of blood touched the ground. Irvine walked up with a guaze strip. "Gotta be more careful, pardner." Irvine smiled. "Ya don't know what kinda stuff you find out here." "Point taken." Brad smiled. "You're awfully young to be a high ranking marksman for the Texas Rangers." Irvine smiled half-heartedly. "Aw, hell, Mr. Crawford. It's nothing... I've been a Ranger for 6 years now. It's nothing to gap about." "Yeah, but you're 19 years old." "I know. It's nothing." Brad nodded. Another drop of blood fell to the ground. Then the ground around the drop cracked and a crater formed. Rangers and Marshals fell into the hole. Tanaka looked around as the eart continued to shake. Then there were screams of total horror and pain and the sounds of eating and chomping. "IT'S HERE!!" Tanaka shouted. "SHIT!!" Brad shouted, getting up. "EVERYONE REMAIN CALM!!!" Irvine shouted, loading his shotgun with anti-Supernatural rounds. Brad grabbed his gun and ran to a boulder. Irvine ran from the widening gap near Tanaka. Tanaka readied a spell. The remaining Rangers and Marshals readied their guns. Then, like a whale surfacing under a ship, the Uktena arose from the ground, swallowing a great many Rangers in it's massive mouth. The Uktena was a beast with a puma's head and frotn legs, ram horns and a snake's body. Irvine screamed as he unloaded round after round into the beast. The Uktena shot an energy blast at Irvine, knocking him against the rock face. Tanaka ran to his side. "Don't mind me. Save the others." Irvine said. Tanaka ran into the fray, getting front row seats to the death of a Texas Pride. Ranger upon Marshal died in the wake of the Great Beast. Brad ran as fast as he could away from the Uktena, but it was following him. He tripped over a rock and looked up. The Uktena sniffed him, then roared and buckled. It didn't attack him but it constantly shifted in response to Brad's fright. Then it spoke in Cherokee. Brad stopped shaking and looked at the Uktena. He responded in Cherokee. The Uktena whirled about, making hand gestures and movements, communicating with Brad. Tanaka drew his Spirit Blade and leapt into the air. "WAIT!!" Brad shouted. "It's....!!" Tanaka decapitated the Uktena. The thrashing tail nailed Tanaka in the chest, sending him flying for about three miles. Brad dodged the thrashing tail and landed next to a ranger's SUV. The Uktena's body sank back into the ground. Irvine awoke from his unconsciousness to see Brad communicating with the Uktena, and hearing every work. Irvine knew much Cherokee, he was taught that in Ranger training. Irvine watched in total anger and rage that Brad didn't condemn the Uktena for the deaths of 100 good men, and that he actually condoned it. After Tanaka decapitated it and went flying, Irvine got up off the ground and grabbed his shotgun. When it sank back into the ground and Brad went behind an SUV, Irvine ran up and slugged Brad with the butt of his shotgun. Brad fell down into the rocks and looked up at Irvine, trembling. **"YOU GODDAMN FUCKING SON-OF-A-BITCH TWO-FACED INDIAN-LOVING NO-GOOD PAMPERED CITY FUCK!!!! THOSE WERE INNOCENT FAMILY MEN THAT THAT THING KILLED!!! YOU CONDONED ITS' FUCKING ACTIONS!!!! I OUTTA KILL YOU!!!!!"** Irvine cocked his shotgun and aimed it at Brad. "WAIT!!! I....!!!" "Irvine!!" Tanaka's voice whispered behind Irvine. Irvine turned around to see Tanaka, bloody from his flight. Tanaka bowed his head. Irvine ran up and hugged Tanaka, then cried on Tanaka's shoulder. Tanaka looked at Brad. "KEEP HIM AWAY!!!" Irvine cried. "KEEP THAT MURDEROUS CITY FUCK AWAY FROM ME!!!" Brad said nothing. He grabbed his laptop and headed for his car.   
****** "...yeah..." Irvine said. "100 men died and he condoned it." "He didn't condone it, Irvine. Yes, he agreed that the Uktena was sad for the deaths of the Native Americans..." "But..." Tanaka stroked Irvine's cheek, brushing his hair from his cheek. "Brad too was angry with the Uktena for killing those Rangers.... I could sense it in his tone that day. I read his aura." Irvine nodded. "But it was his blood that awoke it." "I know." Tanaka whispered. "But I forgive Brad... For a God, it's impossible to forgive a mortal... but even I learned to forgive him... think on my level... all 100 of the Rangers forgave Brad for awakening it.... it was an accident..." Irvine nodded, more tears fell. Tanaka hugged Irvine tightly, stroking his long brown hair. "Please, Irvine... learn to forgive him and put this behind you..." Irvine sobbed in his shoulder. "I'll try." Tanaka smiled. "Thank you...."


	4. Old Wounds Never Heal

Title: Old Wounds Never Heal  
Sequel to: Death of a Texas Pride  
Plot: The Uktena Beast returns   
  
Irvine looked up at the stars. Since the jeep's tires went flat thanks to the rough Oregon roads and Tanaka finally learning how to change tires, Irvine's went through some major soul searching. He thought of the the day in Arizona, Brad Crawford being half-Cherokee, what Tanaka said about forgiveness, everything. "Irvine?" Tanaka asked. "Yes?" Irvine looked at him. Tanaka sat down in the driver's seat and looked at him. "You still don't forgive him, do you?" "I've been thinking about that a lot since Las Vegas." Tanaka nodded. "I arranged for Brad and Trowa to meet us in a cabin at Washington's Cherokee National Park. I hope this brings closure and not another bloodbath..." Irvine nodded. He looked at the rumbling Oregon sky at Tanaka restarted the jeep. "Tanaka?" Irvine asked. "Yes, Irvine?" Tanaka asked. "I guess I should follow your advice, you being a God and everything and everyone says if your God says to forgive them, then do it." Tanaka smiled. "But you worship angels and I'm a Lesser God..." "Yeah, but you're the God of love..." "Point made." Tanaka said, looking at the road. Little did they know, the Uktena's shadow was following...   
"Mr. and Mr. Crawford." Tanaka got out of the jeep and grabbed his duffelbag. "Yes?" Brad asked. "Glad you could make it." Tanaka said. "We have a lot to talk about." "I got nothing to say." Brad said. "I don't even see why he's angry with me over this." "You will have plenty to say, Brad. Trust me." Tanaka said. Trowa looked at Brad. "What happened?" "Long story." Brad said. They walked into the cabin and Tanaka got to work building the fire in the fireplace. Trowa sat in a chair as Irvine leaned against the wall, hugging his shotgun. Brad sat at the table. "So, how do we start?" "4 months ago, 100 Texas Rangers died in an Indian Burial Site in Arizona thanks to the legendary Uktena beast." Tanaka began. "But however, the manner in which the deaths happened has angered Irvine to the point ot hunting you into hell... As the Kitsune God of Love, I made it a goal to get Irvine to finally find it in his heart to forgive you and put this mess behind us. The fighting will only continue if Irvine still carries this grudge with him." Brad nodded. Trowa rubbed Brad's shoulders and looked up at the enraged Irvine. Tanaka looked at Brad and Trowa. "I was there the day the Uktena attacked. As a God, I had to find my reasons for anger and then find my reasons to forgive and forget. I found mine. I want Irvine to do the same. This grudge is very unhealthy." "I agree." Trowa spoke. "I don't!" Irvine protested. "Little Innocent Brad-Fucking-Crawford is responsible for the deaths of 100 good men!! I hope the ravens eat his guts and choke on them!" Irvine stormed out. Tanaka pressed his forehead against the stone wall around the fireplace. Brad hung his head. "He really hates me that bad?" "It's totally unavoidable." Tanaka said. "But it's totally pointless. You're a good man, Brad... no good man should have someone hate him that badly." "I know..." The ground began to shake. The cabin began to fall apart. Trowa looked around. "What's going on!?" Before Tanaka could answer, a giant snake's tail whapped him and sent him flying... yet again. Brad and Trowa looked up. The Uktena shrieked at them. Then in Cherokee, it spoke. "JOIN ME!!" "NO!!!" Brad shouted. "You killed innocent men!! It should never be this way!!" "THEN DIE!!!" The Uktena blasted Brad and Trowa into the forest. Brad staggered up and looked for Trowa. Trowa was a few meters away from him, out cold. Brad ran to his side, that's when he saw Tanaka, face down in a stream, blood seeping into the water and killing the fish in it. "T-tanaka?" No response. "Oh no.... Tanaka!! Trowa!! ANYONE!!!!" The Uktena located them. Then with a thrash of its' tail, it created a small canyon between Tanaka and Brad. Tanaka was safe, but Brad was dangling off the cliff, too weak to morph, weaker still to climb. His bloody trembling hands began to slip. Brad called for help seeing spike at the bottom of the canyon. Then two hands snagged his right one. "I-Irvine???" Irvine stood there, fighting the Uktena's breath weapon to hold onto Brad. "Gimme your other hand!!" Brad's left hand slipped, leaving him dangling. "GIMME YOUR HAND NOW!!!!!!" "If you really want me dead, here's your chance!!" Brad shouted. Irvine said nothing. He looked at Tanaka. _//You got to forgive Brad and put this behind you. Sure, 100 men died but it wasn't Brad's fault... I forgive him.//_ Irvine looked at the unconscious Trowa. _//You want to see a man who continues to hate? Look at me, I hate the man I had become when I entered the Order... with Brad, I can finally live like a normal human... Brad makes me feel life is worth living...//_ Irvine looked down at Brad. "Brad Crawford." Irvine spoke softly. Brad looked up at him. "I forgive you...." Irvine spoke softly. Brad's eyes widened. He looked at the spikes, then raised his left hand. Irvine grabbed it and helped him up. Brad looked at Irvine and then at the Uktena Beast. "We got to find a way to stop it." "I agree with you there." Irvine said. Tanaka limped over to them, followed by Trowa. They looked at the Uktena.


End file.
